By Rupang Bhatt, Ahmedabad, 13 August 2012

What Keshubhai Patel said in his blog post?

On 11 August Keshubhai Patel in referance to Narendra Modi’s Sadbhana fastwrote in his blog: Recently in reply to an RTI application, the details have come out that Collectors had ordered Mamlatdars to buy Muslim topis(skull caps). Why Collector would by Muslim topis? They would do so only when there’s an order from the top….? But what was the need to buy topis? The Chief Minister wanted to create secular and pro-Muslim image. If Muslim didn’t turn up, the BJP workers and rented persons were produced wearing Muslim topis. In Ahmedabad, one retired Municipal officer was presented in Arab dress. This is cheating with the people. We say it time and again that this man is cheating the people for last ten years through his cunning nature.

What Keshubhai and Suresh Mehta told media?

On 12 August, Keshubhai called a press conference to announce the second part of his party’s poll promises. During the question answer round, a lady reporter from national Hindi news channel asked Keshubhai to speak in detail on camera on purchase and distribution of Muslim topis(skull caps) by district administration of Navsari which he had mentioned in his blogpost.

The Hindu report on Keshubhai’s press conference says:Keshubhai alleged that several thousand Muslims who greeted Mr. Modi during the fasts were in fact Hindus. Mr. Mehta said that through a Right to Information plea he had got a reply that on the direction of Mr. Modi, the Navsari District Collector had purchased 28,000 skull caps, used by Muslims, and distributed them among BJP workers. He said the BJP workers wearing the skull caps and dressed as Muslims had thronged the “Sadbhavana” venue. This was to create an impression that Muslims were supporting the Chief Minister, forgetting the 2002 communal riots. “This is nothing but a fraud played on the people.” Mr. Mehta said he had received the specific details about the Navsari “Sadbhavana Mission” gathering, but the same must had been the case at the 30-odd other venues where the fasts were organized.(Sureshbhai, Keshubhai and Gordhanbhai said that the said Sadbhavana fast was organized in Navsari on 20 October 2011. Six tehsildars replied that they had bought total 4800 caps, in which there were caps that are used by Muslims).

Now read what was the real story:

Going into the actual details provided by the administration:

–A statement issued by Navsari district administration today clarified that nowhere in the said RTI reply it was mentioned that the caps were distributed in one community.

-The white caps were not skull caps but cricket style caps(commonly known as baseball caps) with printed text ‘Sadbhavana mission, prabandhak, Navsari’.

-The white caps were provided to volunteers involved in drinking water arrangement, traffic management etc.

-Such caps were given for identification of volunteers involved in smooth functioning of the event.

-Number of photographs of volunteers wearing such printed cricket style white caps are available(Navsari district administration has enclosed a photo of such white cap with its press statement issued today.The photo is presented with this article).

Now coming to Keshubhai Patel’s blog post in which he mentions that a retired Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation officer attended Narendra Modi’s Sadbhavana event in Arab dress. Shri Keshubhai smartly skips the reference that the said officer was a Muslim person Z.A.Sacha. Mr. Sacha often wears Aarab dress – not only in Modi’s Sadbhavana programme but on many occasions.

Questions to Keshubhai and Sureshbhai

-When RTI reply was not at all mentioning that the caps were skull caps or they were purchased for Muslims or distributed among Muslims, how come Keshubhai and Sureshbhai jumped to the conclusion that they were for the Muslims?

-Why Keshubhai and Sureshbhai didn’t share the copy of RTI reply with media persons? Or why the media persons sought it before publishing the story? How Keshubhai added the word ‘skull cap’ and ‘Muslims’ which was not present in said RTI reply?

-Shall they apologize for creation and spread of lie?

-Will politics of lies take center-stage in Gujarat ahead of the election?